


Baby I Choose You

by fancyachatup



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Actor Alec, Actor Magnus Bane, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, Happy Ending, Homophobia, M/M, POV Max, Paparazzi, Parent Alec Lightwood, Parent Magnus Bane, alternate universe famous, max lightwood through the years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-19 04:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fancyachatup/pseuds/fancyachatup
Summary: Max Lightwood-Bane, the son of esteemed actors Alec and Magnus Lightwood-Bane realized how special his family was at a young age.OrMax grows up and recognizes the love his parents have for him and each other.





	Baby I Choose You

**Author's Note:**

> I tried a new writing style so hopefully it makes sense????
> 
> Title from Perfume by SHAED

The first time Max realized that his family was different was when he was a little over four years old, and a strange man with a large camera wouldn't leave him and his friend Ethan alone, watching them and taking pictures while they played in Ethan's backyard. He'd gotten scared when more strange men showed up with even more cameras, and tugged Ethan inside with him, telling Ethan's mommy about the scary strangers outside. He remembers how she called Daddy and Papa, and how they had shown up later to pick him up, and that he never really saw much of Ethan after that. 

•••  
4 YEARS OLD 

"Papa why do they have those cameras everywhere?" Max said, climbing into his Papa's lap, staring at the pretty makeup he had on while awaiting an answer for his question. He was still upset that the strange men were following him and used the bright flashes whenever it was dark outside. 

"Well, that's their job. You know how Aunty Clary takes pictures of people? That's what these people do." 

"But people pay for Aunty Clary's pictures. They pay to get their pictures. We don't, do we?" 

His Papa sighed, and pressed a quick kiss to the top of Max's head, before answering, "It's complicated, but you'll understand when you're a big boy."

•••

At the time, he didn't understand why Daddy and Papa were acting so different. Why they told him that they couldn't go out to get ice cream later that night, or why they wouldn't answer his questions about the men with cameras, or how they followed Max around even when he wasn't doing anything interesting. He remembers asking why he couldn't see Ethan anymore, crying when Papa didn't give him a good enough answer, and watching Daddy hug Papa later that night when they thought Max was asleep. 

By the time Max was ten, he understood that his Daddy and Papa, or Alec and Magnus Lightwood-Bane (this is what the men with cameras - the paparazzi - called them) were famous. Papa and Daddy were both actors, and apparently this was extremely interesting to other people, especially because Daddy and Papa were both guys and had gotten married, at least that's what Aunty Izzy tells him. Max remembers how everyone in elementary school had parents that wanted to be friends with his parents, and he remembers feeling incredibly intimidated by the other dads and moms that constantly tried talking to him about his Daddy and Papa. 

•••

10 YEARS OLD 

"Is your dad really a superhero?" A boy asked, sitting down next to Max and pulling carrots out of his Iron Man lunch box. Max did not know this boy, but as soon as he offered Max half of his cookie, he decided they could be friends. 

"No, he's my dad." Max answered, shrugging. He didn't really know if the other boy - Adam, he learned his name was Adam when Max traded him some fruit snacks for the other half of his cookie - he didn't know if Adam was taking about his Papa or his Dad. Not that it would change his answer, neither of his parents had superpowers so they weren't superheroes, but Max still wondered which person Adam was asking about. 

"Okay. Do you want to come play after school?" Max nodded, but told Adam he'd have to ask his parents. Which, while it was true, Max was also nervous that maybe it wasn't a good idea to hang out with Adam, because the last time he went over to someone's house he'd never gotten to see them again. Now, he had play dates exclusively at his own house, which Papa and Dad had packed full of security and alarms and gates. 

He told Dad when he got home, and he smiled when Dad said yes, and even though Dad had to talk to Adam's dad on the phone for a long time before he could go over, Max was really excited. 

•••

Adam turned out to be a good friend, that's what his parents tell him anyway. Max didn't have many other friends, simply because no one talked to Max about anything other than his parents, and how sometimes the mean popular kids would shout ride things at him that he didn't understand. 

He always told Papa about it when he got home from school, and Papa would frown slightly but tell Max to not worry about it, that people were just curious. Of course, Max still worried about it, a lot. In fact, he was constantly worrying about how many people tried to talk to him about his parents, feeling confused as to why they wanted to know certain things, or how they thought it was okay to make comments about them. He grew very protective of his parents, and was incredibly particular about who he made friends with, weary about their motives. 

A few weeks after he turned thirteen, Max had come home from school and cried, which was embarrassing because thirteen year olds do not cry. Nevertheless, he had locked himself in his room and let the tears fall. That's how his Dad and Papa (because he was too old to say Daddy now) had found him, face down on his bed with silent tears. 

He told them how a boy in his class had said something, and although Max didn't understand what the words meant, he knew they were and from the way in which the boy said them. Papa wiped his tears and Dad gave him a big hug, explaining that sometimes people didn't understand their lifestyle, and because they knew their names, they thought it was acceptable to make judgements on the way they lived. It was the first time Max had dealt with homophobia, and it didn't bode well with him, how so many people thought it was acceptable to call his dads such horrific names and make snide comments about their relationship. 

•••

THIRTEEN YEARS OLD

"It's gross." Max looked up to find a girl named Katie staring at him from across the table top. They had been given a few minutes to talk because their teacher had to print off extra copies of their homework, and now Max was stuck in a group with three people he didn't know or like, and he wasn't happy about it. 

"What's gross?" He responded, dread pooling in his stomach as he anticipated her answer. 

"You have two dads. That's gross." Katie replied flippantly, as though she did just ruin Max's day. His shoulders tensed, and even though his Dad told him to not engage in these kinds of conversations (because they were "not worth it" and "fruitless. People believe what they want.") Max really wanted to explain everything to her, how Papa made Dad breakfast in bed the days before movie premiers (and every other day) and how much his Dad loves him and loves Papa. 

He wants to tell her all of this, but thinks he'll sound lame, so he doesn't say anything at all. And somehow, that feels worse than any response she could give. 

•••

It got to the point where even one of his classmate's parents started making awful comments to him about his Dad, and how it was gross of him to love Papa. Max had told her a few choice words that he'd heard from Uncle Jace, and was sent to the Principle's Office, where they called his parents. When they arrived, they looked disappointed in Max, but he quickly explained why he said these things (and who he heard them from, sorry Uncle Jace) and wishing a few days he'd transferred to a school where it was normal for parents to be famous. 

When Max was sixteen, his dad caught him kissing his lab partner, Andrew, in his room, and although Max and Alec were both incredibly embarrassed by this particular moment, it wasn't scary. He wasn't worried that his parents would be upset with him for having a boyfriend, because, yeah, he did have one, and it would be incredibly hypocritical of them, but he knew they'd be upset that he didn't tell them. 

•••

SIXTEEN YEARS OLD

"He's cute." Magnus says at the dinner table, causing Alec to snort and Max to choke on his lasagna. Because, that's just....gross. His Papa should not get to tell Max that his boyfriend is cute (1. Because he already knows that, and 2. because he's his Papa and his husband is sitting right next to him) so Max feels mildly disgusted while he watches Papa smirk and Alec roll his eyes fondly at him. 

But then, it's kinda nice to know that, in his own weird way, Papa approves of Andrew, so he lets them tease him. 

•••

Now, however, Max was eighteen, and he was going to his first movie premier tonight. It was for a film called War of Hearts, and it was the first time his parents had starred in the same movie together. He was excited, to fully immerse himself in their world, but he was also really nervous, which is why it had taken him 11 tries to correctly tie his tie, and why he'd rolled and unrolled the sleeves on his blazer several times. 

Because even though Max had grown up in the limelight of his parents, they'd been very adamant about waiting until he was a legal adult to actually attend any large events. Of course, Max had been to numerous 'celebrity' events, but none of them had had the possibility of Max being photographed and interviewed by the general public. 

So, yeah. He was nervous. 

"You okay?" 

Startled, Max turned around, finding Magnus standing in the doorway, his hair styled, makeup done, and suit buttoned up.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." They both knew it was a lie, but Max was too cool to admit to not feeling in tip top shape. Magnus moved so that he was sitting on the corner of Max's bed, looking completely out of place in his glamorous attire in Max's lackluster bedroom. Max locked eyes with Magnus in the mirror. 

"Did I ever tell you how your father and I met?" Magnus asked, eyes twinkling. And yeah, of course Max had heard the story. It was both his Dad and Papa's absolute favorite story to tell, and although he'd never admit it, it was Max's favorite to hear. So he feigned ignorance and shook his head, indicating for Magnus to go on. 

"Alexander had just won his first Oscar, and I had collected my third that night. We were both at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, a very prestigious event. And I spotted him from across the room. He'd been a mumbling mess on stage, barely stammering through his acceptance speech, and it was all incredibly endearing. I was instantly drawn to him. I made my way over to him, introducing myself and congratulating him on his win." Magnus paused, a small smile on his face. 

"He was painfully shy, blushing the second I said my name. Apparently he was a big fan, which of course was incredibly flattering. I fell in love with that awkward stutter instantaneously-"

There was a creak of the floorboards (which who knew a mansion could still have creaky floors? It really confused Max seeing as the house was specifically built for his parents no less than a couple of years ago) and Alec poked his head in. 

"Hey! It wasn't an awkward stutter, you were just really intimidating, a third time Academy Award Winner wanted to talk to me and it was a lot of pressure!" Alec huffed indignantly, plopping himself next to Magnus on the bed. They both got that look in their eyes, like they were reliving the night one breath at a time, and Max felt a surge of affection for his two (sickeningly lovey dovey) parents. 

And Max couldn't help himself, he dove right onto the bed, snuggling in between his two parents. It wasn't rare, for Max to suddenly become affectionate. He thinks it's because he grew up in an overly affectionate household. One that wasn't set with per-functionary 'I love yous' or forced family interactions. In fact, Max fondly recalls all the times that they'd sit smushed on the large leather couch, watching movie after movie and happily snuggled up next to his dads. It was great. He guesses that maybe it was like that because Magnus and Alec were both given such flak whenever they were together that they overcompensated by showing and expressing love when at home. But maybe it was just because that's the kind of parents they'd be regardless, loving and caring people with endless patience. 

In short, Max had the best parents.So that's why he didn't hesitate in saying, "I love you." 

\-----

It was kind of surreal, to see all the people - fans - gathered just to see his dads. But, it was also kind of perfect, seeing his parents so carefree and in their element. They'd arrived in a limo, all three of them getting out to see the hoards of cameras flashing before their eyes. Magnus offered his left arm to Alec, and his right to Max, and they'd strutted to the red carpet. 

They were taking pictures, now, Max between both his parents. And it felt good, to show off how close he was to did parents. To show all these journalists and interviewers and photographers that Magnus and Alec had raised a (in his opinion) well-rounded kid. 

Max felt incredibly proud. Not only because they were his parents, but also because he was seeing with his own eyes the payoff of months of hard work. He was also honored, that they'd adopted him and raised him as their own, and now that they'd taken him to see their first film together. It was like everything was coming full circle. 

"Magnus!"

"Alec!"

"Max!"

And, wow. They knew his name - which, of course they did, he was the son of the two lead roles, but it was- it was really cool. 

Slowly but surely, they'd moved over to what Magnus referred to as the 'Gauntlet' otherwise known as the interviewing section, and Max noticed something. Small things, things he's sure that no one else on the planet could notice except for maybe him and Aunty Izzy. He saw the way his Dad stiffened, his impeccable posture becoming even more upright, and how Papa's smile seemed to dim just a hint. Or how their hands were now gripping him a little tighter than before and their eyes seemed slightly worried. 

It was weird, to see the way their demeanor changed when faced with extensive talks from strangers, and Max felt a surge of protection overcome him. Because this may be a really cool experience and his dads may both be movie stars but they were also his fucking parents and he wasn't about to let them take shit from anyone who dared to step out of line.

Max, still tucked in between both his parents, was led over to a blonde woman with a microphone, who flashed a smile in their direction as she saw them coming over. She introduced herself to them, they all shook her hand, and then they were onto the interview. She asked Magnus a lot of questions about casting and what it was like to work with his husband for the first time (Max already knew the answer, he'd been there the day Magnus and Alec got the call that they'd been cast as the two romantic leads. There had been happy tears and lots of celebratory eating but Magnus didn't say any of that. Just explained how wonderful it was to see Alec everyday. Which was putting it very, very lightly.)

She turned her attention to him, and although Dad wanted him that they ask him a bunch of random questions, he was still a little shocked when she jabbed the microphone in his face. 

"And how are you feeling tonight Max?"

There were many feelings coursing through Max's veins. He felt a lot of things. 

Excited. 

Happy. 

Nervous. 

Loved. 

Joyful. 

 

But they didn't seem to adequately communicate just how much this night meant to him, to all three of them. So he answered honestly, with a smile of his face, staring at both his parents who had migrated to his left side halfway through Magnus' answers. 

"Proud."

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this and wanna show your appreciation, [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/B0B6EDIJ)


End file.
